Page 18 of Encore
If Nyx didn’t kill him, there was a bar full of drag queens and Bea Arthur fans that would kick his ass if he didn’t stop trying to talk through her set. I got he was working through some shit, but she was doing Gershwin tonight andkillingit.
“What do you think she’s doing right now?” Arden asked for the probably millionth time since we got here.
We all knew what she was doing. I knew Nicolai and Merlin better than Nyx and Arden. I’d also been with Beyla. They were having a damned good time. Arden said he was okay with it, but now he was stressing about it.
“Dude, she’s getting spit-roasted and loving every minute of it. Youknowthis just as much as we do. Maybe if you sat back and actuallylistenedto Bea’s fabulous performance instead of thinking about what Beyla is doing, you wouldn’t be stressing about it,” Nyx said.
I mean, Nyx wasn’t wrong. My friend nailed Bea Arthur in their drag shows. She had the voice and mannerisms so perfectly; it was just eerie. Her stage presence was magnificent. We had to get here seriously early to grab a table, but there were plenty of people standing to watch the show. Every time she performed, they had to stop letting people in when it became a fire hazard.
Still, I got what Arden was dealing with. It was pretty significant for him to even leave her side now that he’d met her, and his gryphon wanted to claim her. Leaving her side to be alone with two men who were into her, and she shared those feelings? Knowing sex was going to happen? That went against his very nature as a gryphon.
I really just wanted to be swept up in drag queens and Gershwin after the past few days. I couldn’t imagine what Beyla was going through, but watching Bellatrix fly out of the window affected me, too. I couldn’t stand her, and she had always been horrifically homophobic towards me, but I didn’t want her dead.
Still, for some weird reason, Arden decided to claim me, too. It was more than just him being okay with Beyla and me together. He wantedme,too. I’d risk getting my ass beat by Nyx and every drag queen here to make him feel better. Nyx didn’t do feelings. If she got upset, you just needed to sit with her in total silence while she ate a pint of gelato.
I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him in for a cuddle. I made it a point to only frequent places where the people didn’t give a shit about which gender I was giving a little PDA to. I was an affectionate warlock and didn’t really feel like kicking every single ass that thought they could beat the bisexual out of me.
“Hey, Arden. Don’t stress about it. I know this is weird for you, but this is kind of my thing as a warlock. We are all equally important to her. Beyla isn’t playing favorites because we all bring something different to the table. Youtotallyaren’t in any danger of losing her to any of us. She’s with them now, and she’ll be with them again without you. But she’s also going to want time with just you. If you want her as your mate, you can’t make her feel ashamed for spending time with us when you aren’t there.”
“I know, and I’m trying not to. I get everything you’re saying. I understand they bring things to the table that I never will. It’s just especially hard with everything going on. We still don’t know where Santiago is, and Marsden doesn’t seem the least bit upset his girlfriend died. He seems more worried about the gala than saying anything to the company about her death. Throwing a big gala to announce a new ballet after its lead just died is tacky, even for Marsden. He’s up to something. We should all be with her.”
“Beyla is a trained agent. She can handle herself just fine. If she needed backup tonight, Nicolai and Merlin are perfectly capable of handling it. Nicolai’s shady uncle taught him how to fight as soon as he took his first ballet class in case boys in his school wanted to give him issues about it. You’ve never seen Merlin in a bar if he sees a guy slip something in a woman’s drink. That easy-going guy disappears, and he gets scary.”
He really did. Plus, I had a feeling Santiago had been planning this for a long time. He’d done this before and avoided jail. Santiago and Marsden asked for a ballet trained agent and managed to get one. Even I knew who Beyla’s adoptive father was. He was pretty damned famous.
Kaine Dragovich was a bulldog when it came to getting his man. He once went all the way to Hell to rescue a kidnapped librarian and get his man. I’d never met him, but I heard the way Beyla talked about him. If something happened to her here, I had a feeling he wouldn’t be following agency protocol when he showed up asking questions.
Beyla was safe for now. Nyx shot us this death glare.
“Now that’s sorted, shut the fuck up, or I’m going to ask that butch lesbian over by the bar to help me kick both of your asses.”
“Best shut up, Arden. She’s a bouncer at one of the gay bars. She’s a vampire, and I once saw her throw a bear shifter clear across the parking lot for not respecting this little twink warlock’s boundaries. She’d totally beat your ass if Nyx tells her you’re ruining drag night for her.”
“Thank you! Drag night at the Rusty Anchor should be a sacred space like the church is to humans, and you shouldn’t talk!”
“Sorry, Nyx. Bevan helped me deal with some shit. I’m over it.”
“Don’t be sorry, be quiet.”
Arden made a zipping motion over his mouth. I was glad I could help him, but drag night was kind of a religion, and I wanted to watch the show.
Chapter16
Beyla
Nicolai had practically trademarked playing Prince Charming on stage. It was like the god that created him literally made him for that role. I knew he had a reputation for being the polar opposite in real life, but he'd been pretty great with me. I guess it could seem romantic that he broke out his thumb-stealing uncle and his cousin, who was suspiciously good at stalking people when I needed help.
I ended up sleeping a little later than usual. Merlin was spooning my back and holding me like he thought I was trying to get away. Nicolai was nowhere to be found, but he brought me a pretty elaborate breakfast in bed as soon as he realized I was awake.
“Do you do this for all the ladies?”
“Only my mom and sister until today. I only do this for the special women in my life, and you’re pretty fucking important, Beyla.”
“You’re sweet, Nicolai. And you’re an amazing cook.”
“My mom taught me. She told me when she sent me out into the world, I was going to know how to take care of myself. She also said when I met the right woman, I was going to be a proper partner, not a man-child who needed a babysitter.”
“I fully support that. I’m a hard worker, but I don’t want to doeverything.”
